Bible Studies

Stand firm in your faith during trials

by Rev. Joseph Kurtz
04/07/21
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⁸ The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

This verse is very interesting in that it quickly took me back 5 years ago and the trial I faced at that time. Coming back from the Philippines as sadly my time there had come to a conclusion. I had to purchase a plane ticket with the help of a friend there and had to pack my luggage for the trip. I can remember being at the airport in Manila and find out the flight was canceled. I had to use my brain a little in finding a ride back to Guiguinto and return to my flat there as my spouse at that time had gone back to her hometown to be with family there. The trial had many situations that caused a little discomfort. First, I had to communicate with the locals and sadly some didn’t speak English.

Drawing on my previous knowledge of being in Manila and remembering my trips with my wife at the time on how she guided us back home. I had to stand firm and strong in my belief in God. I found a gentleman who spoke English and offered me a ride to the immigration building in Manila. Then, remembering the route that some jeep drivers use that I could use to shorten the trip back home. As they would pick up people and take them to various places on their particular routes they drove daily. Eventually finding myself back on the street I was living at. Then going to the internet café and contact my wife at the time to come back home as my flight was canceled. She found the message and quickly responded back to me. Finally, hours later she made it back home with our stepson I had with her at the time.

To unlock the gate as it was locked for tenants who lived in that particular complex and she had the only key for us. This whole trip back home to my flat had to have taken at least a few hours or more to perform. We can see characters in the bible in their trial moments. You can see Daniel with his trial moment is sitting in the dungeon with hungry lions that could quickly attack him. What I got from this verse and my experience was this? God has never forsaken Daniel, never leaving him, and didn’t either with me. He didn’t take the situation away from me or Daniel but revealed His trait of love instead. He decides to show in these situations His power instead. Throughout all of the problems I face in life, He is always there and His love is with us in sharing. It amazes me how we can quickly become clouded when we seem to only see the situation and nothing else. For me in my situation I had. There was no time to allow doubt that God is with me.

As a pastor, I knew growing up back home had once told his flock that you do 50% of the work and allow God to do the rest. That you do all that you can do and God will show Himself beyond it. That is where we see the miracles that only He can do.That particular trial, I faced at that time showed me, that God allowed the individual to be there when I needed a ride, the taxi driver, also the jeep drivers, all those individuals who were able to speak English well in communicating with me, my experiences of traveling that only God knew that I would need to remember and use, the money to be able to travel and so on. In my situation, the most important thing I could do was to have faith in believing that God is bigger than anything and I must stand firm in that promise. If I didn’t, I could have been stranded on the streets of Manila, robbed maybe, and anything else short of going back home. He is always faithful to His servants in that He can’t fail. He doesn’t take our situations away but allows for the experience to encourage growth with Him. That is building on the trust that comes from faith. God is sovereign over this world and with that how could we doubt His competence?

Daniel didn’t and God kept him safe from the lions and He kept me safe and allowed me to make the trip back home to try the next day to get a flight out of Manila and back home to the state of Ohio.  The situation of mine allowed God to work in the promise He told me years ago. That was, “Don’t I take care of you”? As that was my encounter with Him in hearing Him speak to me. That He never forsakes us, He told us so, and even though we may not understand the process in our lives at moments of trial. Let your faith in Him to do what He wants in our lives and find the peace that He knows what is best and He will do it. Let peace and faith be in your hearts and God will show His glory in your life as He has done so many times in mine in bringing me out of my trials. God bless my friends!

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